Friday
Tesh’s faithful
PBS TAPING|Mock him if you will, but John Tesh with his soft, soothing
keyboard sounds has cemented a rabid fan base among inspirational-music fans. Known better for his Red Rocks appearances, Tesh will continue taping the more intimate PBS special “Piano, Gospel, Dance” tonight at Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada.| 7 p.m. tonight|6250 Wright St., free, 303-424-2121 or tesh for ticket info
Saturday
Art of the matter
ARTS FESTIVAL|City Park’s seventh annual Festival of the Arts will take over the historic Denver park Saturday, featuring three stages of music, kids activities, food, dance, poetry and (of course) more than 120 local artists.|10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday|City Park
Esplanade at East High, free, 720-205-6506 or
Jazzy “Seasons”
CHAMBER MUSIC|Talk about unusual repertoire. For its final chamber concert of the season, Strings in the Mountains will present Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” with a twist. This unusual version has been arranged for clarinet, jazz trio and strings, and will feature clarinetist Eddie Daniels and the Miami String Quartet. Rounding out the program will be Richard Strauss’ String Sextet, a work offering highlights from his 1942 opera, “Capriccio.”|8 p.m. Saturday|Strings in the Mountains, Steamboat Springs, $35, 970-879-5056, ext. 105, or stringsinthe
The weekend
Call it rodeo
COUNTY FAIR|Castle Rock continues its annual summer celebration this weekend with the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo, featuring the sounds of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The No Credit Band. Parades, cattle roping, livestock sales, children’s events and more await.|
Various times, today-Sunday|Douglas County Fair Grounds, 500 Fairgrounds Drive, $5-$25, 720-733-6900 or douglas
Zoot suitin’
SWING DANCE|Tap into the Rocky Mountain version of “So You Think You Can Dance” as Swingtime in the Rockies holds its 16th annual competition this weekend, featuring more than 700 of the country’s best swing dancers from Broadway, TV and more. Passes are still available for both the workshops and spectator-friendly competitions.| Various times today-Sunday|Westin Westminster, 10600 Westminster Blvd., various prices, 303-887-9123 or
Sculptured stroll
ART|Loveland’s annual Sculpture in the Park show and sale has become one of the country’s largest and most popular such events. More than 1,800 works by 169 artists will be on display at this outdoor juried sculpture exhibition. Works can be seen in bronze, stone, wood and glass. Proceeds from the event go toward acquisitions for the Benson Sculpture Garden, which boasts a collection of 116 works. |9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday|Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, $5 general public and free for youths younger than 14, 970-663-2940 or
The week
Portrait maker
FILM|Alice Neel “ranks among the greatest American painters of the 20th century,” wrote critic Jerry Saltz on the occasion of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s 2000 retrospective. “This is a great opportunity to get acquainted with a marvelously gnarly artist.” The same can be said of “Alice Neel,” Andrew Neel’s documentary about his grandmother. Neel will be on hand for a Q&A session about making an intimate portrait of a great artist of portraiture. And there will be a post-film reception.|7 p.m. Thursday|Starz FilmCenter, Ninth Street at Auraria Parkway, $5.75-$8.75, 303-820-3456
Hail to the hoofer
DANCE|Savion Glover has updated tap dance and made it popular with a new generation of fans. The smooth-stepping performer adds a welcome complement to the ballet, ballroom and modern dance elsewhere on the Vail International Dance Festival’s two-week line-up. Joining him will be tap veterans Marshall Davis Jr. and Maurice Chestnut and The Otherz, a jazz quartet.|7:30 p.m. Monday|Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail, $17-$65, 970-845-8497 or 888-920-2787 or
